August 05, 2014

Nigeria: More on the second Ebola case

Senior officials of the Lagos and Federal Governments on Monday provided an update on the Ebola Virus Disease in Nigeria affirming that confirming that another patient; a female doctor has tested positive to the Ebola Virus Disease out of the eight patients currently under clinical surveillance and care.

Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris who made this know today at a briefing with newsmen in Lagos noted that the patient who tested positive to the disease is still alive and being treated in isolation.

He explained that patients under State’s health surveillance are all persons who have had personal contacts with the initial patient that came from Liberia adding that the Rapid Response Team on Ebola Virus Disease had been in communication with these patients who developed fever and other symptom stressing that team is continuously tracking the patients.

“The contacts remain in isolation until confirmatory test results are in, and those of them who test positive for Ebola will remain in Isolation until they are no longer infectious”, the Commissioner explained.

Idris noted that the occurrences of secondary cases disease was expected giving the nature of contacts these persons had with the patient from Liberia adding that this was because they were unaware of his status until the management of the hospital reported their suspicions to the State government.

Idris stated that the investigation team is in communication with family members and other contacts of the new suspect cases; to counsel them and monitor their health status

He explained that the State has established an Isolation and treatment centre to hospitalize patients detected to have the disease stressing that the staffs at the isolation and treatment centre have also received training in infection control procedures for Ebola.

“The hospital is equipped with materials to ensure their protection of the healthcare staffs and other patient population in these facilities. Giving the complexity of the outbreak in the West Africa sub region and the current situation in Lagos, the Ministry is taking up precautions to contain the spread of this disease”, Idris said.

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Senior officials of the Lagos and Federal Governments on Monday provided an update on the Ebola Virus Disease in Nigeria affirming that confirming that another patient; a female doctor has tested positive to the Ebola Virus Disease out of the eight patients currently under clinical surveillance and care.

Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris who made this know today at a briefing with newsmen in Lagos noted that the patient who tested positive to the disease is still alive and being treated in isolation.

He explained that patients under State’s health surveillance are all persons who have had personal contacts with the initial patient that came from Liberia adding that the Rapid Response Team on Ebola Virus Disease had been in communication with these patients who developed fever and other symptom stressing that team is continuously tracking the patients.

“The contacts remain in isolation until confirmatory test results are in, and those of them who test positive for Ebola will remain in Isolation until they are no longer infectious”, the Commissioner explained.

Idris noted that the occurrences of secondary cases disease was expected giving the nature of contacts these persons had with the patient from Liberia adding that this was because they were unaware of his status until the management of the hospital reported their suspicions to the State government.

Idris stated that the investigation team is in communication with family members and other contacts of the new suspect cases; to counsel them and monitor their health status

He explained that the State has established an Isolation and treatment centre to hospitalize patients detected to have the disease stressing that the staffs at the isolation and treatment centre have also received training in infection control procedures for Ebola.

“The hospital is equipped with materials to ensure their protection of the healthcare staffs and other patient population in these facilities. Giving the complexity of the outbreak in the West Africa sub region and the current situation in Lagos, the Ministry is taking up precautions to contain the spread of this disease”, Idris said.